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[Page 68]
May 8th Received orders at noon to proceed close inshore & take on wounded horses & mules. Simultaneously a Veterinary Officer & 9 men boarded us. Whilst we were loading them a Captain from the H.M.S. Queen, the Flagship, came over in a launch & told us we were too close in & to move out a bit.
We started to move & when 300 yards away two big shells dropped right on the spot which we had just left. The enemy evidently saw us a bit close in & got our range. We are too lucky altogether.
Some of the animals we are getting are badly wounded, mostly caused by shrapnel. One has bullet right in the centre of his forehead but doesn't seem to be terribly inconvenienced. A lot of these Mules (the majority it is said) were wounded yesterday & the day before. It is thought that the enemy still have a concealed gun behind Gaba Tepe point which controls the beach where our landings are made. A Warship has one side of this point well watched whilst our Troops keep an eye on the other. They will get starved our eventually. News has just come from Cape Helies that our boys there are advancing steadily. The Troops here have been very quiet today: Just waiting. The hill over there looks like a Township now & all Kaiser Bills army couldn't make them let go.
May 9th (Sunday) Witnessed a Church Parade on H.M.S. Queen this morning. The band played something religious & then a couple of waltzes, whilst the boys in blue doubled along the deck. It looked fine & was quite a treat, the worst of it was that they fired a couple of guns whilst it was on just to let you know that its work first with the Navy.